


#OlicitySpotting: Palawan, Philippines

by CJ_fics



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, OlicitySpotting, OlicitySpotting in Asia, established olicity, outside perspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 03:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4771193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ_fics/pseuds/CJ_fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four college friends take a trip of a lifetime and somehow form an obsession with the lovely couple they meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	#OlicitySpotting: Palawan, Philippines

“Who’s ready for our last hurrah before adulthood?” Mark turns to his friends with a big smile on his face as soon as they step out of the van that picked them up from the Puerto Princesa airport.

Luz rolls her eyes at him, “Such a drama queen,” slapping him lightly in the arm.

“Guys, we have to head to the ferry now,” May says, putting her hands on Luz and Mark’s shoulders.

“I thought it wasn’t leaving for another thirty minutes?” Ji Hee asks.

“Yeah, but we have to be at the dock now,” May insists.

“Stop being so Type A, Mayumi,” Mark teases, calling May by her full name as nudging her shoulder playfully, “We’re on a vacation! Our last before we all have to start being adults!”

“You mean, get jobs,” Luz retorts, “It’s not the end of the world, you know. Getting a job.”

“We have been saving up for this,” Ji Hee adds, “So, I’m with Mark. I’m going to enjoy this vacation!”

Mark raises his hand to high-five Ji Hee, “That’s my Korean Kimchi!”

Ji Hee laughs as she high-fives Mark, “I wanna look at hats! I have this vision in my head where I’m walking along the beach with a huge hat and a flowy dress.”

The rest of the friends laugh as they head for the shops that line Honda Bay.

Luz, who hangs back, letting her friends go ahead, shakes her head. Mark did have a point. It was the month between their college graduation and the time that they would all need to begin their post-university careers.

_It did feel like their last hurrah before adulthood_ , she admits to herself with trepidation.

She had an internship with the top accounting firm in the country lined up as she prepares for the CPA board exams. Ji Hee was going back to Seoul, where her family lived, for a visit before she starts her post-grad studies in Mechanical Engineering. Mark and May still needed to find jobs. They had offers from different advertising and publishing companies but they had yet to commit to any of them.

The four friends met at the freshman orientation at the university and have stayed friends throughout their four-year stint in college. It didn’t matter that they were all pursuing different degrees, they hung out during their down time and eventually shared an apartment near the university.

They had been planning – and saving up – for this trip since their sophomore year. They had all fallen in love with pictures of Palawan – the coral reef systems that surrounded the Palawan islands, the pristine white beaches, the lush marine life – that they saw online. They had promised each other to save enough money to take a vacation together after they graduated.

Their parents had announced that their graduation gift was to augment their savings so they can afford a better vacation. That’s why they could all afford to stay at Dos Palmas Resort and Spa – one of the most exclusive places in Palawan that had its own island called, Arreceffi Island.

_This is going to the trip of a lifetime_ , Luz smiles.

“Luz, have a look, this hat would be perfect for you!” Ji Hee calls from one of the stalls, holding up a wide-brimmed purple hat.

“You know me so well, Ji,” Luz says, taking the hat from Ji Hee’s outstretched hand.

Before she could ask the shopkeeper how much for the hat, Mark exclaims, “OMG. Guys, hottie alert! I mean it, hottie alert. This is not  a drill. There’s a hottie – a major hottie – headed our way.” He fans himself with the white straw hat that he had selected.

The girls look towards where Mark was staring, but stop when Mark warns, “Don’t all look at once. Have some finesse, ladies!”

“You can’t tell us there’s a hottie and not expect us to look, Mark,” May says, hitting him lightly with the navy blue cotton hat in her hands.

“He’s headed this way,” Mark whispers urgently, “You’ll get your fill – Oh, he’s with a _mujer_!”

Before anyone could turn around, a female voice says, “Oliver, look! Hats!”

“You should get one, Felicity” a deep male voice responds, “I don’t want you to burn in this sun.”

The friends turn to look at the source of the voices to they all gasp in unison.

The guy – Oliver – is a major hottie as Mark had said. Wearing a v-neck white t-shirt that showed off his muscled upper body and grey cargo shorts, he was tall with light brown, almost ashy-blond hair, and had a beautiful masculine face topped with blue eyes and framed with a scruffy jawline.

Beside him was a blonde woman – Felicity, they all assumed – wearing a white tank top and denim shorts, who only came up to his shoulders. She was pretty with blue eyes and a heart-shaped face.

“How much for this?” she asks, holding up a fuschia wide-brimmed straw hat at the shopkeeper, who was looking at Oliver with a blush, before turning to Oliver,  “Or how do you say it in Tagalog?”

“ _Magkano_ ,” Oliver supplies with an American accent and a smile.

“ _Magkano_?” Felicity turns back to the stunned shopkeeper, “ _Po_? I should use ‘po’, right? It’s a sign of respect.”

“Yes, like the Spanish 'usted’,” Oliver responds, reaching inside the pocket on his right thigh to take out his wallet.

“Two hundred fifty pesos,” the shopkeeper answers.

May scoffs, which turns the couple’s attention to her, “ _Manang, mahal masyado._ ”

Oliver frowns, trying to see what was going on, his hand coming up to hold Felicity’s shoulder.

Luz addresses him, “You should bargain. It’s too expensive.”

Oliver nods and smiles, and they all find it hard to not to swoon.

“But that’s like less than four dollars, Oliver,” Felicity says to him in warning.

Oliver flashes her a dopey smile before turning to the shopkeeper, “Two hundred.”

“Not enough,” Mark protests, “Go for half the price!”

“Half the price?” Felicity’s eyes widen, “Then that’s like a dollar fifty! Oliver!” She swats him lightly on the chest.

He sighs good-naturedly at her, before turning to face the group of young friends, “Are you all buying hats?”

“Uh … yes,” Ji Hee says hesitantly, waving the bright yellow hat she had selected.

“Good,” he turns back to the shopkeeper, “How about we get five hats for one seventy five each?”

“No, five for one thousand pesos,” the shopkeeper bargains.

Oliver shakes his head at her, “Five for eight seventy five.”

“Five for nine hundred,” the shopkeeper says.

“Deal,” he smiles, taking out a one thousand peso bill from his wallet.

Before the young people could protest, Felicity speaks up, “On us, please. Thank you for helping.”

As Oliver pays for their hats, an older lady, wearing a Dos Palmas polo shirt, approaches the group, “Mr. Queen, Ms. Smoak, the ferry will leave in ten minutes. May I suggest you start making your way towards the dock?”

Then she turns to the group of friends and says the same thing to them in Tagalog.

As they make their way to where the ferry was docked, Luz says to the couple, “Thank you so much for the hats.”

“ _Walang anuman_ ,” Oliver smiles, his arm wrapped around his girlfriend.

“What does that mean?” Felicity asks as they fall in line near the ferry. The group of friends in front of them, listening in on the conversation as they marveled at the clear blue waters of Honda Bay.

“It’s no bother,” Oliver answers, “You were the one who bought the guide book, Felicity.”

“Yeah, but I’m not some kind of linguistic savant like you,” she teases back.

“Being able to say 'thank you’ and 'how much’ and 'it’s no bother’ doesn’t make me some kind of linguistic savant,” he chuckles.

“You were able to tell what our guide at the underground river park was saying in Tagalog,” she insists.

“Maybe half of what he was saying,” he shrugs, “A lot of the words are in Spanish, and I know Spanish.”

“Exactly,” she says, “Linguistic savant. Point proven.”

“I –”

“Just take the compliment, mister,” she interrupts.

“Thank you, Felicity,” he responds.

“ _Walang anuman_ , Oliver,” she says with a grin.

He bends down to give her a light peck on the lips before playfully slapping her denim-covered bum, “Brat.”

“Oh, you love it,” she says archly.

“I do,” he says casually.

It takes all of Luz’s effort to not melt at the overheard conversation between the beautiful couple. As she meets her friends’ eyes, she knows that they’re all  trying not swoon.

——–

“The snorkeling guide, Mang Lito, said that Mr. and Ms. Hotness have been here in Dos Palmas for about a week now,” Ji Hee announces as she joins her friends in one of the cabanas lined up along the shoreline of the island, “I asked.”

She nods her head to where the couple that they were all curious about were at. They were reclining on a beach lounge to the left of their cabana. He was resting on the back of the wooden lounge his arms around her as she sat between his legs and reclined against his chest. They were both facing the pristine blue water on the white sand beach.

“What a lucky woman,” Mark says, opening his eyes for a second to take a peek at the couple, “That man is hot!”

“She’s not too bad herself,” Luz comments, “She’s really pretty. And she’s friendly.”

“Yeah, she is,” May says then takes a sip of her lychee coconut rhum drink, “And look at that body!”

“I wonder why he doesn’t take his rash guard off,” Ji Hee muses, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t hide his magnificent muscles, but I’d like to see some skin.”

“And that’s why we’re friends, Korean,” Mark smiles, “We have the same priorities in life.”

As they try to watch the couple as furtively as possible, they all sigh as they see Oliver reach for a bottle of sunblock and starts spreading the white lotion on Felicity’s shoulders, arms, back and upper chest.

“Do you think they’re married? Honeymooning? Lovers on a getaway from their spouses?” May muses out loud, “Or did they meet here and instantly fell in love?”

“Hmm, they look much too comfortable with each other to be vacation affair material,” Ji Hee responds, “Newly-weds?”

“Yeah,” Mark agrees, getting up from his prone position to sit and take a sip of his pineapple orange gin drink, “They definitely have a newly-wed vibe.”

“Nah,” Luz says, “They seem more steady than that. Maybe newly-weds but have been together for a long time? They have that aura about them.”

“Like they would tear each others’ clothes off any minute or they would hang out and just talk,” May confirms.

“Look at us _lolas_ ,” Mark chuckles, “We’re such busy bodies!”

“I know, right,” Luz laughs, getting up to order some more drinks from the bar.

As she walks towards the bar, she wonders what it was about the couple that have captured their collective attention.

——–

“Hello,” Felicity greets Luz and Ji Hee as they enter the circular open air area of the Paranarian Island Spa. She was seated at one of the cushioned recliners with her legs extended in front of her as an attended painted her toes dark green.

It was nearing dusk on their second day at the resort, and both Luz and Ji Hee agreed that it was time for a mani-pedi.

“Hi,” Luz and Ji Hee wave back as they take their seats across from her as directed by their attendants.

“I’m Felicity, by the way,” she smiles.

“Luz,” Ji Hee responds pointing to her friend.

“Ji Hee,” Luz says with a thumb towards Ji Hee.

“Ji Hee doesn’t seem like a Filipino name,” Felicity says.

“I’m Korean,” Ji Hee says, “But I went to university here. Well, in Manila. In Quezon City, to be exact.”

“I see, and do you enjoy living here?” Felicity asks.

“Yes,” Ji Hee nods, “I’ve made some really great friends here,” she adds smiling towards Luz.

“Friends are important,” Felicity nods with a small smile.

“Do you live in the Philippines?” Luz asks.

“Oh no,” Felicity responds, “We’re just visiting. It’s a lovely country. Well, not that I’m an expert or anything. I’ve only been here. Oh, and we spent a night in Makiti…?”

“Makati,” Luz corrects her.

“Right, Makati. Before we took a plane to Puerto Princessa,” Felicity says, “Does it really mean 'itchy’ in English? That’s what Lina here says,” she nods at the young woman painting her nails with a smile.

“It does,” Luz answers.

“Who names their city 'itchy’?” Felicity asks with a confused frown.

“Well, apparently, before the Spanish came, that place was empty grassland – which itches. So, it was known to locals as somewhat of an itchy place,” Luz explains.

“Oh, wow,” Felicity smiles, “That’s very interesting. I really should read up more about the Philippines. I would but the internet is kind of horrible in this resort – No offense meant, Lina! It’s just that it’s really not good.”

“It’s OK, Ms. Felicity,” Lina says with a smile, “It’s like that away from the city in my country.”

“Also, Oliver has kind of challenged me to get off the internet during our stay here,” Felicity adds, “He’s betting that I won’t stand to be offline for two weeks, and I want to prove him wrong.”

“But if you’ve already tested the internet at this place…” Ji Hee looks at the blonde woman with a question in her eyes.

“Well, let’s not tell him that,” Felicity says conspiratorially, “Let’s keep that between us, girls.”

“Keep what between you girls?” a male voice asks from the entrance of the spa. Oliver.

“Oliver!” Felicity exclaims, her body jerking in surprise, “I told you to stop sneaking up on people!”

“I wasn’t sneaking up on people,” Oliver responds, walking towards her, “You were just too busy conspiring about something to notice me walking in.” As he reaches her, he bends to give her a kiss, his hand cupping her jaw.

He straightens and faces Luz and Ji Hee, who were looking at him stunned. They don’t think they would ever get used to how good-looking this man is.

“Hi, ladies,” he smiles at them, “I’m Oliver.”

After the girls introduce themselves, Oliver takes a seat next to Felicity and makes a move to grab her hand.

“Is it dry?” he asks.

“I think so. Do you think it’s dry, Lina?” Felicity turns her attention to the manicurist.

“Yes, Ms. Felicity,” Lina says, “Also, I put some oil on your nails so it will be protected from touching.”

“Thank you,” Felicity smiles as she reaches a hand out to grasp Oliver’s, “I thought Mr. Lito was taking you fishing on the other side of the island?”

“He did,” he says, bringing her hand to his face so he could kiss the back of it.

“Any luck?” she asks, stroking his jaw with the back of her forefinger.

“Yeah, we caught a few fish,” Oliver answers, “It was fun but I wanted to catch the sunset with you.”

As the couple grin and flash soft, loving looks at each other, behaving as if they were alone, Luz and Ji Hee look at each other sideways and smile.

——–

“So, have you seen them?” Mark asks when they all sit down at the outdoor area of the resort restaurant for lunch, “I don’t think I’ve seen them at all today.”

“Yeah, they weren’t on the snorkeling boats,” May says.

“We saw them yesterday at the spa,” Ji Hee adds, “Then at dinner. But no sighting of them today.”

“Maybe they left for Puerto Princesa, or went island hopping,” Luz suggests.

“Maybe,” Mark muses, “But if I had a boyfriend who looked like that? I know what I’d be doing with him all day and all night.”

“ _Bastos!_ ” May teases.

“Hey!” Mark protests jokingly, “Don’t try to pretend you’re Ms. Goody Two Shoes, you’re a total perv for him as well.”

“And for her,” May retorts, “I’d take any of them.”

“Or both!” Ji Hee laughs, “I’m not picky.”

“We’re obsessed, aren’t we,” Luz says, shaking her head, chuckling, “Look at us, in the vacation of our lives and we’re obsessing about pretty people.”

“True,” May agrees as Ji Hee and Mark nod, “So, what do you say we take this vacation up a notch?”

“How?”

“Take the ferry tomorrow to Puerto Princesa, go to the underground river. Or hire a ferry to go island hopping. The tour will take us to four islands – Luli, Starfish, Pandan and Cowrie,” May answers, getting into planning mode.

“Island hopping!” Ji Hee says as Mark exclaims, “Underground river!”

“Both!” May and Luz answer together, “We’ll do both.”

——-

For the rest of their stay, they all somewhat forget about the beautiful couple that they had been obsessing about. It helped that the couple tended to keep to themselves and have remained barely visible, probably opting to stay in their private villa on the other side of the island. They would see Oliver and Felicity sometimes during meals, and would exchange pleasantries with them. But they made a collective decision to focus on their last hurrah, their trip of a lifetime, instead of wondering about a couple that had caught their imaginations.

They did everything that they could afford. A day-trip to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, where they marveled at the clear waters of the underground river and teased each other about getting shat on by the bats that lived in the caves of the park. They spent another day hanging out at Honda Bay, shopping for gifts for their parents and their families in the local stores, drinking their fill of alcohol in local dives, and gorging themselves on seafood. The next day, it was all about island-hopping and snorkeling. In between their touristy activities, they hung out at the Dos Palmas beachfront, commandeering the cabana they stayed at for themselves, or going for the free snorkeling trips around the coral reefs around Arreceffi Island, where they saw giant, four-feet-wide clams, and once, a large tortoise, and all sort of marine life.

Through it all, they talked – about their college days, about their families, about their romantic lives, about their worries about their futures. They strengthened their bond with each other.

It was the trip they all dreamed about – and more.

On their sixth and final night, they spot Oliver and Felicity during dinner. The couple waves to them before they turn their attention back to the Fire Dance that the resort staff performed on Saturday nights. It’s an impressive performance with dancers flinging metal strings tipped with fireballs to the beat of the music. It was lovely to see the snorkeling instructors and the wait staff that they had become friendly with show off their impressive talents.

As the performance winds down, and an acoustic cover band sets up to perform for the resort guests, Mark says, “They’re gone again.”

“Who?” Luz asks.

“Oliver and Felicity,” Mark says, “Sorry, guys, I’m still obsessed.”

“Who isn’t,” May nods.

“Yeah, there is something remarkable about those two,” Ji Hee says.

“It’s not just us,” Luz says, “Everyone here, it’s as if they hold their breaths when those two appear. As if all the attention is on them.”

“That may be why they disappear a lot,” May muses aloud, “They’re like gravity. They pull everyone towards them.”

“It’s because they’re beautiful,” Mark jokes.

“It’s because they’re in love,” Luz says seriously, “It’s so obvious.”

“Yeah,” they all sigh.

They decide to take a walk along the beach instead of listening to the acoustic band that covered cheesy romantic music. Music that was was popular way before they were born, so it doesn’t hold their attention.

As they enter the beach from the grassy grounds by the restaurant, they spot two people with their arms wrapped around each other as they sway to the music that was still audible from the dining area. They kept their eyes locked on each other.

Oliver and Felicity.

He was wearing a pair of slate grey linen pants and a long sleeved light blue t-shirt. She was in white tank top paired with a gauzy purple, pink and white long skirt. They were barefoot in the sand.

Luz’s breath hitches at the sight, stopping in her tracks. They looked so engrossed with each other, as if their universe was the one in their arms.

She could feel Ji Hee, wrap an arm around her right elbow and lay her head on her shoulder. Ji Hee sighs dreamily as she does so.

May stands, unmoving, on Luz’s left her eyes steady on the couple.

To May’s left Mark fishes his phone out his back pocket to take picture.

The girls look towards him in annoyance for ruining such a moment.

“How many times will we see something as beautiful as this?” he says quietly.

“Maybe one day this can be one of us,” Ji Hee murmurs dreamily.

“That’s the hope,” May agrees quietly.

Luz smiles. _Perhaps adulthood may not be so bad, after all._

/ end

\----------

Translation:

mujer – Spanish for woman, it’s also used in Tagalog with the same meaning

magkano – How much?

po – It’s attached at the end of sentences, especially when speaking to an elder, as a sign of respect

Manang, mahal masyado. – Manang is a term to address an older woman. Mahal masyado, “That’s too expensive”

Walang anuman – It’s nothing / It’s no bother. Used in response to thank you.

Mang – It’s added to the name of older men to show respect. Kind of like Mister.

lolas – grandmothers

Bastos – pervert

**Author's Note:**

> Original post: http://outoftheclosetshipper.tumblr.com/post/128792028288/olicityspotting-palawan-philippines


End file.
